British chef Rick Stein is known for his Cornish roots but has a whole repertoire of recipes inspired by other locations.
His delicious cheese, potato and spinach filo pie is based on a tip to Devon when Rick met with cheesemaker Mary Quicke.
Mary’s family have been producing artisan Cheddar since 1540, as the chef discovers in an episode of his BBC Two show, Rick Stein’s Food Stories.
Demonstrating the recipe, Rick said: “I’m letting that gorgeous mature cheddar be the star, with the milder flavours of the veg the support acts.”
The recipe is quick and easy to follow, beginning with fresh sliced onions fried in creamy butter.
Method
Take a large non-stick frying pan and fry the sliced onion with 35g of butter until soft, golden and fragrant. Next, mix the cream and eggs in a bowl and season with plenty of black pepper.
Set these aside for later while cooking the potatoes. Peel the potatoes then boil until fork-tender before draining and rinsing under cold water to cool.
Drain once more to dry the slice each spud into 5-6mm thick slices. Wash and wilt the spinach before squeezing all the liquid out, then move on to assembling the pie.
Take a 23-25cm pie dish and layer up four sheets of buttered filo on the base, alternating directions and allowing the excess to spill over the sides.
Add half of the sliced potato then scatter over some of the cooked onion, followed by some wilted spinach, then half of the cream mixture. Add half of the grated cheese and season with salt and pepper once more.
Repeat the layers with the remaining potato, spinach and onion, then season before topping with the leftover cream and cheese.
Fold over the overhanging filo and top with 2-3 sheets more of buttered filo, then brush the top of the pie with butter. Bake for 10 minutes at 210C/190C fan, then cover the top of the dish with a sheet of foil to stop it from burning.
Reduce the oven temperature down to 190C/170C fan, then cook for a further 20-25 minutes, or until the pie is heated throughout. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes after removing from the oven.
